Franklin POV
I opened my eyes and blinked a few times. Still in my apartment. Still alive. Good start.
When I sat up, I realized I was on the couch. In the kitchen, everyone was talking. Grandpa Max was chatting with Beth and Waller like they were old drinking buddies. Fury stood nearby, arms crossed, listening but not saying a word.
This was insane.
I'm related to them.
Why?How?And more importantly, why those two of all people?
I'm a superhero. They're two of the worst people on Earth to know a superhero's identity. Fury runs a spy network. Waller collects dangerous people like Pokémon. If they find out I'm Omni?
Yeah. I'd never see freedom again.
Okay. Breathe, play it cool, these two can spot lies like it's a superpower. I gotta stick to half-truths or full truths, nothing they can twist.
Grandpa Max noticed I was finally awake.
"Well, look who decided to join the land of the living! I was starting to get worried," he laughed.
I forced a smile.
"Oh, and Franklin? I like the beard. Still needs time, but you're getting there."
…Beard?
Confused, I stood and headed to the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror.
I saw it.
Grandpa Max had drawn a full beard on my face with a marker and glasses.
"GRANDPA MAX! Come on, this better not be permanent!" I yelled.
"HAHAHAHA!" Grandpa Max's voice boomed from the living room.
For an old guy, he definitely hasn't let his inner child die. But honestly… this could work for me.
I pulled out my phone and typed into the group chat as fast as I could, scanning the room to make sure no one was coming.
Can't come to the base. Not safe right now. My aunt and uncle run top-secret government organizations. I'll explain everything later. DO NOT text me back.
I hit send, silenced my phone, and shoved it in my pocket.
Then I started wiping the marker beard and glasses off my face. Thankfully, it wasn't permanent, because I would've thrown myself out the window.
When I finished, I headed back into the living room. Everyone had settled in: Nick Fury and Amanda Waller each took their own single sofa chairs like royalty. Grandpa Max and Beth were on the main couch.
I sat between them.
And then… silence.
Awkward, suffocating, no one knows who should speak first, silence.
Grandpa Max finally groaned dramatically.
"You know, I've been shot at, stabbed, nearly blown up, been through wars, jumped out of a plane with a busted parachute, and broken more bones than I can count."
He threw his hands up.
"And THIS is still the worst moment of my life. Seriously, children, this is awkward. Somebody just SAY something already."
Nobody was talking.
"Oh, for the love of, Beth, how are you enjoying New York?" Grandpa Max finally said.
"Oh!" Beth perked up, clearly not expecting to be called on. "It's been really good. Franklin and his friends have been treating me very well. They've all been very nice."
"That's good to hear. I don't know all of Franklin's friends, but I do know Ava and Yolanda. How are those two?"
…And that's when I got embarrassed.
"Oh, you don't know?" Beth said, giving me a look that basically screamed Should I tell him or you?
"What don't I know?" Grandpa Max asked. "Please don't tell me you stopped being friends with them, Franklin. I love you three together. Honestly, I thought you'd end up dating one of them."
"Haha…" I laughed awkwardly. "Well, you're right and wrong at the same time. I'm not dating one of them… I'm… uhh… dating both."
I scratched the back of my head. Yeah. I never did tell him.
Grandpa Max, Nick, and Amanda all looked at me like I'd just announced I was engaged to a supervillain.
"Well, congratulations, kid!" Grandpa Max grinned. "I'm happy for you. I'm sure you'll make those two very happy. Speaking of which, do you need more money? I know having one girlfriend is expensive, but two."
"No, thanks, I'm good," I said quickly. "Me, Peter, and Ned have been playing with the stock market. We've… gotten a decent amount of money."Which was true. We had been messing with the stock market, and Betty had even been helping us.
"Oh? Well, be careful. Stocks can be."
"Always," I cut in.
Amanda leaned forward. "I know some people who are very good with the stock market. If you and your friends ever need help, let me know."
I completely forgot those two were even here.
"Oh… thank you, Auntie. I'll keep that in mind. But I would actually like to know about you and… Uncle."
"Wow, that looked like it hurt to say," Grandpa Max snorted.
"I need time to get used to it, give me a break…" I mumbled.
"What do you want to know about us?" Amanda asked.
"The basic stuff, your jobs, your life, if you have kids. I'm just… curious. I want to know you," I said.
"Well, my job's not really important. I'm just a government official, nothing too high up. And I do have a daughter. She's older than you. She lives in Gotham with her girlfriend," Amanda said.
"One of my cousins lives in Gotham? Why?" I asked. "I swear I heard last week that half the city got flooded."
"I ask her the same question every time we talk," Amanda sighed. "She says the city has 'character.' But honestly? I think it's because the rent is way cheaper than anywhere else."
"Rent can't be that cheap there," I said.
"She has a three-bedroom house and pays $200 a month," Amanda replied.
I was completely stunned. "Okay, yeah, I get why she stays there now. I just hope she stays safe."
"She's smart. She can handle herself. I'm not that worried anymore—she's been living there for years," Amanda said.
"Good. Can you tell me a bit more about your job? Like what you do?" I asked.
"Nothing much to say, honestly. I just push papers and sign things," Amanda shrugged.
"Oh. Okay," I won't push. I'd rather not accidentally learn something that puts me on a watchlist or something.
"What about you, Uncle Nick?" I asked.
"Basically the same thing as your aunt. Nothing exciting about my job," Nick said.
"Okay… do you have any kids? And I'm assuming both of you are married, since neither of you has the same last name as me?" I said.
"I don't have any kids, but I do have a wife," Nick said.
"I was married," Amanda added softly. "But my husband passed away a long time ago. Cancer."
My expression dropped. "Oh… I'm so sorry for your loss."
"It's fine. It happened a long time ago," Amanda said gently. "I've learned to live with it."
"What was he like… if you don't mind me asking?" I said.
Amanda paused for a moment, her eyes softening. "He was a good man. An honest man. A good father and an amazing husband. He always tried to do things 'by the book,' even though sometimes the book didn't really work for him." She let out a nostalgic breath. "He was good friends with your father, too. They had their differences, of course, but they respected each other deeply. That was before you were born."
"I wish I could've met him," I said quietly. "I get the feeling I would've really liked that guy."
She smiled, small, but definitely there. "Maybe. If you're anything like your father, you'd make friends with almost anyone."
"Ha! You can say that again," Grandpa Max jumped in. "I remember one time at the park, when he was about ten or eleven, he made friends with at least twenty kids. It was insane. And now that I think about it…" He lowered his voice, but everyone still heard it. "…most of them were girls."
"I remember one time we were all stuck in an airport because our plane couldn't take off due to technical issues," Nick said. "Michael wasn't worried at all. He just started talking to a gentleman next to us. Within hours, they were basically best friends. The guy ended up inviting us onto his private plane. I was amazed how he managed that just by talking."
"Well, he was never like us," Amanda added with a fond smile. "He was always cheerful and outgoing."
"Do you remember when he proposed to Carla?" Grandpa Max said, chuckling already.
"Oh, yes. I remember that beautiful disaster," Amanda said.
"It was a disaster?" I asked.
"Oh, absolutely," Grandpa Max said. "See, your father was an easygoing guy. He didn't plan for much. Honestly, he barely planned for anything. But for the proposal? He went all-out. Rented an entire restaurant, your mother's favorite, and decorated it with flowers, candles, the whole nine yards."
Amanda nodded. "It was gorgeous. Very unlike him to organize anything that detailed."
"But," Grandpa Max continued, "your mother showed up wearing this stunning dress. Apparently, she figured out what he was up to, your dad sucked at keeping secrets. And I swear to you, the moment he saw her… the man forgot how to breathe. He froze for a whole minute and finally passed out. Went straight down and knocked over a candle, which then set half the restaurant on fire. Your mom had to carry him out, and she was holding him princess style."
I stared at him. "…Hahaha, what?!"
"I am not lying," Grandpa Max said, raising a hand like he was taking an oath. "I was there. So were Nick, Amanda, and your mother's sister and father. Honestly? I really wish I had recorded it."
"I do have a picture," Nick said.
He handed it to me.
My mom is in a beautiful black dress. My dad, in a tux… completely passed out. And she was carrying him bridal-style out of the restaurant while flames were literally coming out behind them. When I looked closer, I noticed something else.
My mom wasn't mad.She was smiling at him.
Even with the fire. Even with the chaos.She was happy.And for a moment, I felt like I remembered that feeling too, even if I couldn't explain why.
"You all seem really close… back then," I said quietly.
I finished looking at the picture, and Nick slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"We were," Amanda said softly. "Your father was something special. He was the best little brother I could've asked for. And we loved him very deeply, him and your mother."
"If that's the case," I said, my smile fading, "then why didn't any of you come to their funerals?"
The entire mood shifted instantly. Like someone shut off the lights.
I looked at both of them, no anger, just hurt. Confusion. Something I've been carrying for years.
Grandpa Max let out a slow breath. "I was wondering when you were going to bring that up." He turned to Beth. "Sweetie, let's give these three some privacy. How about we go get some ice cream?"
"Okay!" she said quickly, picking up on the tension as she stood. They both walked toward the door.
"Dad…" Amanda said, a little anxious.
"You three need to have this conversation," Grandpa Max said, his voice firm in a way that made the whole room still. "You don't need interference or distractions. And… you owe him answers. You owe him that much."
And just like that, he and Beth stepped out, closing the door behind them.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Both of them were standing there with those same stoic faces. I couldn't read a damn thing off either of them, not that I expected to. This was Nick Fury and Amanda Wilder. If there was one thing they were good at, it was hiding what they really felt.
"It's… complicated," Nick said.
"I'm smart. Please, explain it to me," I said. "Explain how you both claim to love my mom and dad, but didn't show up. At all. Never visited me once in my entire life. And I'm pretty sure the only reason you're even here right now is because Grandpa Max forced you."
Nothing on their faces changed, but I knew I was right. My gut was screaming it.
"We thought we'd be doing you a favor by staying away," Nick said. "We're not exactly the emotional and available type. Max was the better option."
"I never asked you to raise me," I said. "I'm just asking why you didn't try. Once a year, Christmas, Easter, and my birthday. Hell, even on my mom and dad's birthdays. You couldn't even show up then?"
"It was hard," Amanda said quietly. "I'm sorry we weren't there, but we thought we were doing the right thing. We were grieving too. You have no idea what it's like to lose a brother. He was everything to us. He was the light of our whole family. He was the only one."
She didn't finish the sentence. Her voice cracked, and for the first time, I actually felt the weight behind her words.
"You're right," I said softly. "I don't know what it's like to lose a brother. But I sure as hell know what it's like to lose a father. And a mother. They were my whole world, and I lost them. And you weren't there." My voice shook, tears pricking the corners of my eyes.
"The only person who was there was Grandpa Max, and he was grieving, too. He lost a son and a daughter. So don't use pain as an excuse. We were all in pain. You could've shown up so we could at least share it. That's what family is supposed to do."
Silence. They didn't say a word.
I closed my eyes, and the tears I'd been fighting finally slipped down my cheeks. I needed to calm down, center myself. I knew what these two were like; in the comics, they were ruthless, emotionally detached, especially Amanda. I couldn't expect real human emotion out of them, even toward their own nephew. I just needed to pull myself together and get this over with. I wanted them gone.
I don't need them. I'm happy. I've got all the family I need right here, Ava, Yolanda, Peter, Ned, Betty, MJ, Beth, Grandpa Max, Cindy B, Courtney, Cindy M, Hector, Soledad, Ted, Aamir, Yusuf, Muneeba… hell, even the Ancient One counts.If I learned anything from Supernatural, it's this: always use salt against ghosts, and family doesn't begin or end with blood.
With my eyes closed, trying to steady my breathing, I suddenly felt someone sit down next to me… and wrap their arms around me.
I opened my eyes.
It was Amanda.And she was crying.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "You're right… We should've been there. We should've been together. I just… I couldn't look you in the eyes. It hurt too much. I'm truly, truly sorry."
I was caught off guard, but I hugged her back.
Nick's voice came next, quieter than I'd ever heard it."We don't have the right to ask this, and it's completely fair if you say no. But if you're willing to give us a chance… we'd like to be in your life. We want to be a family. We just hope it isn't too late."
And I could feel it, they meant it.No tricks. No hidden motives. No manipulation.
Just guilt.Regret.And a real desire to fix things.
But could I actually let them in?
These were Nick Fury and Amanda Waller. The same two people who would unmask every hero alive if it meant protecting the world. The same two who believed secrets were more valuable than relationships.
At least… that's what the comic-book versions of them believed.
These two?These two were real.These two were family.
And a part of me wanted to know them. Truly know them.
But I had to be smart. Careful. I'd have to monitor them, hack into their networks, track their movements, make absolutely sure they weren't tracking me. Because for this to work, Franklin Fenix and Omni must stay separate.For my safety.For my friends.For whatever tiny chance of family we were building here.
After a long silence, I finally spoke.
"I'm a firm believer in second chances," I said. "So… I'm going to give you both one."
"Thank you, Franklin," Amanda said, hugging me tighter. She definitely worked out; I could feel the strength behind it.
"You won't regret this," Nick said.
"I hope not," I replied.And I really, really hoped I wouldn't.